,
I
BEFORE THE
P;,STAL,i,rTt~:.‘:L,‘1:(.,;;:;,
POSTAL RATE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON. D.C. 202660001
POSTAL RATE AND FEE CHANGES, 2001
1
OFFICE Ci iiilr
L;2!:,-?.:5?
Docket No. R2001-1
RESPONSE OF UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
WITNESS MAYO TO INTERROGATORIES
OF
THE OFFICE OF THE CONSUMER ADVOCATE
(OCAIUSPST36-44~51)
The United States Postal Service hereby provides the responses
Mayo to the following interrogatories
OCA/USPS-T36-44
of the Office of the Consumer
of witness
Advocate:
to 51, filed on October 15.2001
Each interrogatory
is stated verbatim and is followed by the response.
Respectfully
submitted,
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
By its attorneys:
Daniel J. Foucheaux, Jr.
Chief Counsel, Ratemaking
475 L’Enfant Plaza West, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20260-l 137
(202) 268-2986; Fax -6187
October 29, 2001
RESPONSE OF UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE WITNESS MAYO TO
INTERROGATORIES
OF THE OFFICE OF THE CONSUMER ADVOCATE
(OCA/USPS-T3644-51)
OCARISPS-T3644.
Please refer to your testimony at page 5, lines 3-34. You identify
the nine rate-making criteria to be considered in determining postal rate and fee levels.
Please explain the relative weightings you employed for each of the criteria in
determining the proposed rates for each type of service that you address in your
testimony.
RESPONSE:
For each of the special services I have proposed
criteria are addressed,
along with associated
new fees for, all applicable
significance
relevant, in the respective pricing criteria sections.
pricing
of each individual criterion if
No “relative weighting9
were used.
RESPONSE OF UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE WITNESS MAYO TO
INTERROGATORIES
OF THE OFFICE OF THE CONSUMER ADVOCATE
(OCAAJSPS-T36-44~51)
OCA/lJSPS-T36-45.
Please refer to your testimony at pages 23 to 30, where Certified
Mail is discussed.
(a) Do you have any studies of the level of customer satisfaction with Certified Mail? If
so, please provide them.
(b) You indicate on page 26, lines 1O-l 1, that the enhancement of Certified Mail with
the provision of Internet access and call center access to delivery time and data is
expected to increase customer use of Certified Mail. How much additional usage and
revenue will the enhancement generate? Please provide complete information on
estimation procedures.
RESPONSE:
a. I have been informed that the Postal Service does not have any
studies of the level of customer satisfaction
for certified mail.
RESPONSE OF UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE WITNESS MAYO TO
INTERROGATORIES
OF THE OFFICE OF THE CONSUMER ADVOCATE
(OCA/USPS-T36-44-51)
OCAAJSPS-T36-45. (CONTINUED)
RESPONSE:
b. The difference between the volume in my workpaper
volume for certified mail is the addiiinal
enhancement,
estimated volume from the certified mail
as well as volume effects from the proposed
receipt and Internet availability of return receipt after mailing.
volume (USPS-LRJ-109,
WP-3) of 302.882.000
279,412,OOO (USPS-LR-J-109,
and the forecast
electronic
return
The workpaper
less the forecast volume of
WP-13) results in an additional volume of
23,470,OOO. This volume is developed by witness Nieto in Library Reference J136, based on market research conducted
by witness Rothschild
(USPS-T-27).
This additional volume multiplied by the proposed fee of $2.30 results in
additional
revenue of $53,981,000.
RESPONSE OF UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE WITNESS MAYO TO
INTERROGATORIES
OF THE OFFICE OF THE CONSUMER ADVOCATE
(OCAAJSPS-T3644-51)
OCAIUSPS-T36-46.
In your testimony, pages 3.1 to 39, you discuss Delivery
Confirmation.
(a) At page 33, lines 3-8, you indicate that Delivery Confirmation data are available via
the Internet and via telephone number. Do you have any information, studies or
analyses that measure the accuracy of reported Delivery Confirmation data? Please
furnish such studies and the percentage of Delivery Confirmation deliveries that are
reported accurately.
(b) Do you have any studies of the level of customer satisfaction with Delivery
Confirmation?
If so, please provide them and explain how you used them to determine
Delivery Confirmation fees.
RESPONSE:
a. The Postal Service does not have any information,
that measure the accuracy of Delivery Confirmation
telephone
specifically
data reported.
number providers monitor the agents’ performance
for reporting on Delivery Confirmation
studies, or analyses
The l-800
as a whole, but not
data.
b. I have been informed that the Postal Service does not have any
studies of the level of customer satisfaction
for Delivery Confirmation.
RESPONSE OF UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE WITNESS MAYO TO
INTERROGATORIES
OF THE OFFICE OF THE CONSUMER ADVOCATE
(OCAAJSPS-T36-44-51)
OCAILJSPS-T36-47.
In your testimony you discuss Insurance on pages 40 to 46. Do
you have any studies, analyses, or surveys indicating the degree of consumer
satisfaction with this service? If so, please provide them and explain how you used
them to determine Insurance fees.
RESPONSE:
I have been informed that the Postal Service does not have any studies, analyses, or
surveys of the degree of consumer
satisfaction
for insurance.
RESPONSE OF UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE WITNESS MAYO TO
INTERROGATORIES
OF THE OFFICE OF THE CONSUMER ADVOCATE
(OCAAJSPS-T36-44-51)
OCANSPS-T364.
In your testimony you discuss Return Receipts on pages 51 to 64.
(a) Do you have any studies, analyses, or surveys indicating the degree of consumer
satisfaction with the current services or consumer needs and preferences for projected
services? If so, please provide them and explain how you used them to determine
Return Receipt fees.
(b) As you recognize on page 56, line 5, there are concerns about unreliable service.
Do you have any studies that quantify the degree to which service is unreliable? If so,
please provide them.
RESPONSE:
a. I have been informed that the Postal Service does not have any studies,
analyses, or surveys of the degree of consumer satisfaction
for the current return
receipt service.
b. I have no studies that quantify the reliability of return receipt service.
My
knowledge
of any problems with return receipt service was gained entirely from
information
provided in past rate case proceedings.
interrogatory
DFCAJSPS-T36-2.
See my response
to
RESPONSE OF UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE WITNESS MAYO TO
INTERROGATORIES
OF THE OFFICE OF THE CONSUMER ADVOCATE
(OCAfUSPS-T36-4451)
OCAIUSPS-T39-49.
In your testimony you discuss Signature Confirmation on pages
68 to 75. Do you have any studies, analyses, or surveys indicating
(a) the degree of consumer satisfaction with the current services? ..
(b) consumer needs for projected services?
(c) consumer preferences for projected services?
If the answer to any of a, b, or c above is affirmative, then please provide the studies.
RESPONSE:
a. I have been informed that the Postal Service does not have any studies,
analyses, or surveys of the degree of consumer
satisfaction
for Signature
Confirmation.
b.-c. I have been informed that the Postal Service does not have any studies,
analyses, or surveys of consumer
Signature Confirmation.
Parcels subclass.
for projected services for
Witness Nieto estimated the volume of certified mail
migrating to Signature Confirmation
Signature Confirmation
needs or preferences
in response to my proposal to extend
to parcels in the First-Class Mail Letters and Sealed
USPS-LR-J-136,
Table 9.
RESPONSE OF UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE WITNESS MAYO TO
INTERROGATORIES
OF THE OFFICE OF THE CONSUMER ADVOCATE
(OCAIUSPS-T3644-51)
OCA/USPS-T36-50.
Please refer to your testimony at page 89, lines 10-l 1. You
indicate that many of the special services need to be re-evaluated for redundancy.
Please indicate which services need to be reevaluated.
RESPONSE:
Potential services that could be re-evaluated
mail, certificates
for redundancy
of mailing, return receipts, registered
Signature Confirmation.
would include certified
mail, Delivery Confirmation,
and
RESPONSE OF UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE WITNESS MAYO TO
INTERROGATORIES
OF THE OFFICE OF THE CONSUMER ADVOCATE
(OCAAJSPS-T36-44-51)
OCARISPST36-51.
Please provide any information, quantitative study results, or
survey results substantiating your statement on page 100 of your testimony, lines 2930, that “The Postal Service has made great strides in improving the overall service of
both Certified Mail and Return Receipts.”
RESPONSE:
Please see my testimony at pages 100, line 30 through page 101, line 13, where I
describe the proposed enhancements
to certified mail and return receipts.
Also, please
see my testimony at page 25, line 19 through page 26, line 18, at page 27, line 11
through page 28, line 3, at page 55, lines 1-4, at page 57, line 15 through page 58, line
10, at page 99, lines 32-37, and at page 103, lines 4-9.
DECLARATION
I, Susan W. Mayo, declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing
answers are true and correct, to the best of my knowledge,
belief.
Dated:
I0 i3
I
I
0 I
information,
and
CERTIFICATE
OF SERVICE
I hereby certify that I have this day served the foregoing document
participants
of record in this proceeding
in accordance
with section 12 of the Rules of
Practice.
qz&L& ?-I# L-L.kk
David H. Rubin
475 L’Enfant Plaza West, S.W.
Washington, DC. 20260-l 137
October 29.2001
upon all